CFL Week 13: PFF Team of the Week & Player Awards

2RNYG74 MONTREAL, QC - SEPTEMBER 02: BC Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) runs the ball against Montreal Alouettes line backer Frederic Chagnon (49) during the BC Lions versus the Montreal Alouettes game on September 02, 2023, at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

• BC’s Vernon Adams Jr. has a big game: Adams finished Week 13 with a 71.0% adjusted completion rate while also making two big-time throws without any turnover-worthy plays. He also used his legs well, gaining 53 yards and six first downs.

• Argos lean on RB A.J. Ouellette again: He gained 79 yards on 12 carries, with a ridiculous 70 of those yards coming after first contact. He forced a league-leading seven missed tackles this past week, adding to his league-leading 48.

• DI Almondo Sewell was an absolute force for Montreal: Sewell recorded a sack and seven pressures, along with two other pass-rush wins, in Week 13. His pass-rush win rate was an insane 52.9%.

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes


It was an exciting Labor Day weekend in the CFL. We saw highlights, lowlights, upsets and more. The Blue Bombers failed to clinch a playoff spot, and a BC Lions win pulled them back within striking distance of the West Division lead.

The Toronto Argonauts pulled even further ahead in the East, while the Edmonton Elks' win streak came to a halt. In the end, a lot of new faces made their way onto the Week 13 Team of the Week.


OFFENSE

QB: Vernon Adams Jr., BC Lions
RB: Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Outside WR: Eugene Lewis, Edmonton Elks
Slot WR: Nic Demski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Slot WR: Tim White, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Slot WR: Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Toronto Argonauts
Outside WR: Austin Mack, Montreal Alouettes
LT: Joel Figueroa, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
LG: Brandon Revenberg, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
C: Darius Ciraco, Toronto Argonauts
RG: Peter Nicastro, Toronto Argonauts
RT: Brett Boyko, Edmonton Elks

DEFENSE

DI: Miles Brown, Saskatchewan Roughriders
DI: Almondo Sewell, Montreal Alouettes
Edge: Jake Ceresna, Edmonton Elks
Edge: Jackson Jeffcoat, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
LB: Jordan Williams, Toronto Argonauts
LB: Josh Woods, BC Lions
Cover LB: Mark McLaurin, Edmonton Elks
CB: Jamal Peters, Toronto Argonauts
CB: Nick Marshall, Saskatchewan Roughriders
HB: Branden Dozier, Calgary Stampeders
HB: Evan Holm, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
S: Quincy Mauger, BC Lions

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Brett Lauther, Saskatchewan Roughriders
P: Jamieson Sheahen, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Returner: Tommylee Lewis, Calgary Stampeders


QUARTERBACK OF THE WEEK: QB VERNON ADAMS JR., BC LIONS

The Lions ended their two-game losing streak, and Adams' play is among the biggest reasons. He finished with a 71.0% adjusted completion rate while also making two big-time throws without any turnover-worthy plays.

Adams also gained 53 yards and six first downs with his legs. He was the best running quarterback not named Tre Ford and the best passing quarterback not named Chad Kelly. In all, he earned a league-leading 83.5 overall grade among quarterbacks in Week 13. 


OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: RB A.J. OUELLETTE, TORONTO ARGONAUTS

While he wasn’t the highest-graded running back of the week, Ouellette had one of the most impressive games of any offensive player. He gained 79 yards on 12 carries, with a ridiculous 70 of those yards coming after first contact. He forced a league-leading seven missed tackles this past week, which just adds to his league-leading 48.

No running back is averaging more forced missed tackles or more yards after contact than Ouellette this season. Oh, he also threw a 26-yard touchdown pass on a trick play. Not bad for the highest-graded running back in the CFL this season (89.4 overall).


OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: BC LIONS

It wasn’t a great week for offensive lines, but the Lions were the best of them. BC allowed a fair number of pressures (14 on 39 passing dropbacks), but many of them were late and didn’t affect the play as much as they could have. Of those 14 pressures, only one resulted in a sack, and none were hits.

Lions runners gained 55.8% of their yards before contact, which was the highest percentage in the league this week, thanks to the line clearing out lanes. 


PASS RUSHER OF THE WEEK: DI ALMONDO SEWELL, MONTREAL ALOUETTES

What an incredible game it was for Sewell when it came to rushing the passer. Prior to Week 13, he averaged just 1.44 pressures per game and sported a 9.0% pass-rush win rate. In this game, he notched a sack and seven pressures, along with two other pass-rush wins. His pass-rush win rate was an incredible 52.9%. That was more than double the next-best mark of the week.

Sewell's eight pressures were double his next-best game over the past two seasons (twice he’s tallied four pressures in a game). Whether this was a one-off or a sign of things to come remains to be seen, but this past week was something to celebrate for Sewell.


RUN DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: DI MILES BROWN, SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Brown made three run stops from the interior and didn’t have a single negatively graded run-defense snap. On the flip side, he posted a positive grade on 40% of his run-defense snaps. His 85.1 run-defense grade this past week led the league by a large margin.

Much like for his interior defender counterpart above, Week 13 was a big change of pace compared to Brown’s season overall. It marked the first time he’s posted a run-defense grade above 68.0 this season.


COVERAGE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: S QUINCY MAUGER, BC LIONS

Bucking the trend of one-off great games on defense this week was Mauger, who has played well all season. This was his highest-graded coverage game of the year, though, at 88.1. His best plays were a great pass breakup on second down late in the first half and a tackle that negated a potentially huge gain on a quarterback scramble in the third quarter. Then, in the fourth quarter, he won a jump-ball battle with Alouettes star wide receiver Austin Mack and secured an interception in the end zone. That saved a touchdown that would have put the Alouettes ahead with five minutes left in the game. Mauger now leads all defenders this season with an 86.9 coverage grade.

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